If Iris had thought the Berserker Riders were paranoid about her well being while at the Defenders of the Wing's home, the villagers of Berserk itself were by far worse. The moment Jager landed with her and Dagur they were surrounded by people. Everyone was anxious to see her and make sure she was in one piece. Granted the last time they saw her she was being carried off by a Dragon Flyer. Still, it was a little overwhelming having so many people crowd around her.

When Enigma and the other Fury Howlers landed along with the Berserker Riders, the attention mostly moved from her to the two newcomers aka her parents. Dagur quickly introduced them. Which of course led to some very excited Berserkers who finally got to meet the family of their chieftess. It was a welcome distraction.

Jager left the village center and headed straight for home. Enigma soon bounded after him along with the other three Fury Howlers. Thankfully the villagers didn't follow after them. Instead they bombarded the Riders with questions.

"Looks like they like you," Vivian commented.

"I'm not surprised," Jon said proudly.

"Iris has done a lot since we came back," Dagur explained, his voice just as proud. "The villagers were quick to accept her and treat her as chieftess even before she was."

"I think they were just happy I was here to rein you in," Iris drawled.

"That was probably part of it too."

She poked his cheek as he laughed. Being back calmed Dagur down for the most part. He didn't seem to be on edge as much as he had been. The tension she could feel in his posture had almost disappeared by the time they landed.

Soon they were at their home. Vivian and Jon looked around with interest while he helped her down, at his insistence. Still it was a relief to be home so she put up with it.

By the time her parents got off Enigma and the other dragon Iris had left them and Dagur outside to go inside. The first thing she did was go upstairs to check on Shadow. The Night Terror perked up the moment she opened the door and launched herself at her with a cry. She comforted the anxious Night Terror as she rubbed herself all over Iris. Both eggs were still eggs that Shadow quickly returned to.

"How am I not surprised?" Vivian asked. "You always had all kinds of little pets. Of course you'd have a little dragon critter."

"Her mate is mine too," Iris chuckled. "This is Shadow. Her mate is a Terrible Terror named Screechie."

"I can't wait to meet him," Vivian drawled. "Bed. Now. Doctor's orders."

"You aren't a doctor," Iris sassed as she sat to pull off her boots. Her mom helped take her armor off.

"I am probably the most medically educated person in the Archipelago," she drawled. "So I am the most qualified to be a doctor. Dagur told me about the healer issue. I decided while we were at the Wing place I'll be taking up that position."

"Think you can handle it?" Iris teased.

"I can handle you and your father and Dagur, I can handle anything. Now. Bed."

With a sigh Iris crawled into her and Dagur's bed. Vivian fixed the blankets, clearly fussing, until Iris told her to go get settled. She didn't know what all her parents had decided with Dagur without her knowing. For all she knew everything from housing to future retirement had been decided while she had been trapped on a cot in the Defender of the Wings' healer building.

Promising to come back up to check on her, Vivian left. Iris waited until she heard her footsteps go down the stairs before flinging the blankets off. She hopped out of bed and headed to the window. She pushed the shutters open to look at the village outside.

Already the Riders were on patrol. She watched one fly by, a Deadly Nadder Rider, with a Terrible Terror riding behind them. People walked about, talking, shouting, and doing daily tasks. Some noticed her looking out the window and waved. She waved back while smiling. It was definitely good to be home.

"You should be in bed," Dagur drawled. She snorted as he walked up behind her. "Do you plan on being stubborn forever?"

"Only when people are being overly worried," she answered.

"That's because we care."

"It's a little suffocating I hope you know."

He didn't say anything but wrapped his arms around her while resting his chin on her head. For a minute they just stood together, looking out the window. A green blob made a beeline straight for the window. Dagur cursed and pulled Iris back right before Screechie flew right into her chest.

"I missed you too," she laughed as Screechie cried and rubbed his face against her chest.

"Cursed little thing," Dagur grumbled.

"He's not cursed," she said while Screechie just screeched at Dagur. "And you hurt his feelings."

"If he keeps screeching like that I'll hurt more than his feelings."

"You are so mean to him. Yet he delivers all your messages and letters. So mean."

Dagur just shook his head as she teased him. Screechie soon wiggled out of her grasp to fly over to Shadow. Both dragons purred at each other as they touched noses before he nudged their eggs. At Shadow's growl he quickly stopped and cuddle up to her instead with her between him and the eggs.

"Back to bed with you," Dagur said. He scooped her up, causing her to squeal in surprise, and dumped her onto the bed. "Scowling at me won't change my mind. Your mom is scarier."

"I can be scarier," she threatened but he just laughed. "Dagur I am going to go crazy! I can't stay in bed all the time."

"Your mom said you can and you will," he said firmly. "Iris, you've been through a lot in the past two weeks. Just, take it easy. For me. For, well, them."

"At least give me something to do," she sighed in defeat. "Otherwise I will go insane."

"Hey then we can match!"

"No. I don't think Berserk can handle two deranged and insane leaders. They barely could handle one."

"Touche."

It took a week for Vivian to finally let Iris off of bedrest. Mostly because Iris was going insane being trapped inside with little to do. For her well being and the well being of the child she carried Vivian deemed it necessary to let her go out and about. Finally.

None of the tribe knew she was expecting. The first night of their return Iris and Dagur talked long about it. She was worried about anything happening to cause a loss of their child and the negative affect it would have on the tribe if they learned about it. So they agree to wait until it was safer to announce it. Only she, Dagur, Vivian, and Jon knew in the tribe.

Speaking of Vivian and Jon, both other worlders settled in quickly. Vivian took her self appointed task as healer in stride and started fixing everyone up. From sniffles to broken bones she took everything she learned in her world and while at the Defenders of the Wing island and put it into practice. She even started a strict diet change for the women having trouble conceiving and advised what to feed growing children.

Jon, still not the best Norse speaker but could understand most of it, settled in nicely with the guard. He took to weapon training like a fish to water. Most weapons he could wield with ease after a basic explanation and example of how to use them. This cheered Dagur up and he placed him under Ellie to train to be the next guard captain.

The tribe happily accepted Iris' parents with little issue. There was some grumbling over Vivian's difference in medical abilities but they were soon stomped out. The grumbling mostly came from those who enjoyed far more drink than others since she firmly recommended they cut back on their alcohol consumption. Otherwise everyone else was happy.

"Miya how's everything going?" Iris asked as a Deadly Nadder Rider landed nearby during her walk.

"Everything is clear," the young woman said eagerly. "Chief Dagur is running the Windstrikers through formation patterns so the rest of us were dismissed for the day."

Miya had come from the Murking Tribe and settled here permanently. Her mocha colored skin drew attention from both young men and women but she ignored all of them. Her only focus right now was being the best Rider she could be and match her idol, Astrid. It made Iris giggle to no end whenever she thought about Miya admiring Astrid who was three years younger than her. Not that age mattered but it was still adorable to her.

Unlike the others in her former tribe, Miya didn't have wild tattoos or piercings. She kept her dark brown hair braided in the small and tight braids that ran along her scalp but otherwise she dressed herself like any other Berserker. The only difference, besides her skin tone, was the fish chasing its tail tattoo that was on her chest. She had eagerly accepted their common way of dressing in basic clothing and bits of armor.

"What else do you have planned then?" Iris asked as Miya's purple toned Deadly Nadder nudged her hand with a coo. "Oh yes. Have some scratches."

"I want to start practicing hand signals," Miya answered. "Astrid taught us about them when she was here and how they helped with tricking Chief Dagur when he was young. So my goal is to be able to give Starstrike every command without speaking a word."

"Then you better start practicing," Iris said. "Good luck you two."

"Thank you Chieftess," Miya said eagerly. "Come on Starstrike! Let's go!"

The two ran off, the Deadly Nadder following her Rider like a lovestruck puppy. Iris watched them go before continuing her walk. She wanted to see how the storehouses were doing with everything finally getting ready to be harvested. Soon the weather would be turning and the growing season would be completely ended with harvest season happening in full force.

There had been murmurs about holding a harvest festival. It sounded like it would be happening once the pumpkins, squash, and turnips were ready to be harvested. The children would decorate the pumpkins and squash to chase away evil spirits that would come to seek a place to live. Before that everyone would celebrate the bountiful harvest and give thanks to the gods for the bounty. It sounded like fun.

As she inspected the storehouses, several Berserkers greeted her and made small talk. She noticed everywhere she went as of late that everyone not so subtly looked her over. At first she ignored it but after what felt like the hundredth time she snapped.

"We just want to make sure you are feeling alright," one poor Berserker said when she snapped. "We heard you had been tortured and poisoned and we all worry about you. You are our chieftess and we don't want anything happening to you."

After hearing the explanation Iris felt guilty for blowing up. She decided to ignore their concerned look over and let them keep doing it. Yelling at them to stop wouldn't work and it was their way of showing they cared. Not that they kept quiet about that. They were all very vocal about how they cared about her well being.

"You are looking well Chieftess," Rohan commented when she stopped by his house to say hi. "I was worried when Chief Dagur brought you home. You looked rather pale and unwell."

"Thanks," she snorted.

"I'm glad you are safe now though," he continued. "And with your parents here now! That was a very welcome surprise. I'm pleased they are happily settled in."

"I was worried about how everyone would react," Iris admitted. She gratefully sat in the chair Rohan offered her. "Thank you. I know you all accepted me fairly easily but that was because Dagur decided to announce me becoming chieftess eventually. My parents, well, they're strangers. I wasn't sure what to expect."

"With everything that has happened we are pretty accepting," Rohan chuckled. "Besides they are your family, your parents. Without them you wouldn't be here as our chieftess. Of course they would be warmly welcomed and held in high regard. Especially your mother. It is comforting having a capable healer, especially one that saved you from death's door."

"Everyone knows that story," Iris grumbled.

"Well it is to be expected. Our Riders knew what happened and shared it along with Chief Dagur rescuing you and taking you to a place to be healed where your mother and father showed up on dragon back to save you. It will be a story for the ages."

"Expect I'm the weakling needing saving," Iris snorted.

"I'm sure no weakling could have survived what happened to you. Hold yourself in higher regard my chieftess. You are a hero to all of us, you and Dagur."

Blushing at Rohan's words, Iris changed the subject. She talked with the elder for a time. He told her the other elders had decided to dismantle their council. It was a surprise but he reasoned they were no longer needed. There was a council in a sense of four chiefs and chieftesses now that could balance each other out. The elders felt the future of Berserk was in safe hands.

He told her about the latest adventures his granddaughters had gone on, they had joined their parents on one of the fishing ships, and some of the latest gossip she hadn't heard yet. Supposedly one of Arlx's clan members was courting a young lady that had been scorned during the bachelor fiasco. That bothered the bachelor that had pitted her against some other single women and he challenged Arlx's man to a duel. He had been embarrassingly thrashed by Arlx's man that he refused to leave his home for days. However that ended any future issues between the eligible bachelors and bachelorettes.

"I better get home," Iris yawned. They had been talking for a quite some time that the sun was beginning to set. "Or Dagur will send a search party after me."

"Thank you for stopping for a visit," Rohan chuckled.

"Thank you for giving me the latest gossip," Iris responded.

"I am always willing to share what I've heard. People think just because I'm old that my ears don't work anymore. Bah."

Iris laughed as she left. Waiting right outside was Enigma who had bailed on her walk. The Fury Howler cooed eagerly.

"Came to bring me home?" Iris asked. Enigma nodded. "Alright."

She hopped onto the dragon's back and leaned against her mane as she trotted back to their house. Iris wouldn't admit it but she was tired and hadn't been looking forward to the walk home. So Enigma had turned up at the perfect time. Recovering was a pain.